Editor’s Corner – March Edition

With 30 bureaus around the world and more newsrooms than all of our competitors combined, Business Wire is proud to provide local expertise and superior service, backed by the most accurate editors in the world. In Editor’s Corner, we ask some of our best to chime in on how to get the most out of your press release, based on their years of experience in the industry.

BW Cleveland Editor Alan Waldinger

As an editor at Business Wire, I’m used to scouring press releases for any and all mistakes – misspellings, grammatical issues, punctuation errors, etc. And while our clients do an excellent job of composing releases, there are a few key items that are occasionally omitted from them. The following aren’t errors in a traditional sense, but correcting them can add to the visibility and utility of your press release.

1) Company Name in the Headline: It goes without saying that the headline is the most important part of your press release, providing the reader with a concise summary of its content. It’s also important to signify who is issuing the release; you want the media to know that your company is announcing a new product, adding personnel, or receiving an award. Something like “XYZ Corporation’s New ABC Software Improves Retail Inventory Distribution” seamlessly integrates your company’s name into the headline, while also including all of your release’s essential information. Don’t forget that including your company name will also improve your visibility on many search engines.

2) Full Contact Information: The goal of a press release, in addition to making your news public, is to draw in media for supplemental coverage. That release could result in an interview, or feature in a print or online publication. It is imperative, therefore, for the media to be able to contact you directly. Make sure you include your phone number (direct line if possible) and email address in every press release. If you’re with an agency, make sure its name is also included with your contact information. The growth of social media has generated even more avenues for business and media exchange, so don’t be afraid to provide your LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter account.

3) Company Website: Although a corporate website has become the de facto place to learn more about a particular company, some writers still forget to include a URL address in a press release. The boilerplate is an obvious location for a URL, but it also doesn’t hurt to hyperlink your company’s name in the first paragraph.

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8 Responses to Editor’s Corner – March Edition

I agree on all fronts, except the example that was provided for the headline. While of course you must include your company name in the headline at some point, I have heard on multiple occasions that it can hurt your SEO efforts to lead a headline with your company name. Is that no longer the case? thanks

Hi Kelly, this is Joseph Miller from Business Wire. In my experience, leading your headline with your company name is not necessarily a bad thing for SEO, but using your most important keywords first can also be extremely beneficial and often is preferable. To remix Alan’s example, you could do something like:

Some webmasters try to use articles from available content directories to get visitors to their site and make some money. This is mostly important for those who have only begun working as an affiliate for several companions and do not even have any funding, yet need to improve little niche sites to visitors to their site so that they can begin making revenue.

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Wow, I never thought of it that way but from here on out I am never forgetting our Company Name in the Headline, our Full Contact Information and our Company Website. Seeing it from that point of view really opened things up for me.